Letters | Reopening Hong Kong: time not on the side of an unwelcoming financial hub

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We welcome the interim road map for Covid-19 and the further relaxation of pandemic restrictions announced by the Hong Kong government since late March. However, to rebuild confidence and enable Hong Kong to regain its competitiveness, we need clarity and certainty on the pathway for resuming quarantine-free travel to both the mainland and the rest of the world.

While it is understandable that it may take time to discuss quarantine-free travel with the mainland authorities, the Hong Kong government could consider normalising international travel in the earliest instance to ensure the city does not lag behind other key international finance centres in terms of access and mobility. As more markets allow quarantine-free travel, it has become a baseline standard across the world today.

If Hong Kong continues to fall short on this front, we will increasingly be marginalised and put in an uncompetitive position in terms of talent recruitment and retention, business and growth opportunities, and resources allocation. Our Covid policy has already led to a brain drain in the fund industry, and if the policy cannot be adjusted in a timely manner, the negative impacts will become entrenched.